To Raw Nanaimo
From: Chris J. Slater
Sent: September 20, 2010 10:35:44 AM
To: Raw Nanaimo
Hi Moe. In reply to your request for input, I've done so in bold as follows:
Date: Sun, 19 Sep 2010 14:30:19 -0700
Subject: Raw Potluck Night - Your Input needed
Hello,
Firstly, let me thank all of you who came out to our first potluck last Sunday. The food was great and the company better!
If you know of anyone else who would like to take part in the Raw Nanaimo Potlucks please forward on this e-mail to them.
There are a couple of things I would like to bring up as I would like your input:
1. Below I have included an e-mail from Lee at Community Gardens. The e-mail calls into question the night that we have chosen for our potluck as it conflicts with the community gardens potluck night. The position of Raw Nanaimo is to be as inclusive as possible not exclusive. We want to have the best possible turn out that we can have.
Me too but on subject!
Please read Lee's email and let me know what you think.
Should we keep the potluck on the same night or should we consider moving it?
Keep it. Second Sunday of the month. Began at four, ended at 6:45 pm.
What works best for you?
1. Well, I'll repeat what I've already stated:
Hi Everyone. We really enjoyed the "pot"luck tonight and Maureen, decided to do some checking at: http://www.nanaimocommunitygardens.ca/events.php which states:
"Sunday Sept 12, 2010 — Nanaimo Community Gardens Society vegetarian potluck and...... guest speaker. Free vegetarian potluck followed by Shaun Janzen speaking about permaculture at 6pm. Everyone welcome.
5pm at Pacific Gardens Cohousing Community, at 347 7th St, Nanaimo.
For info call 250-816-GROW (4769)"
My comments? I'm a former member of V.I.V.A. (http://islandveg.com/?page_id=468and) and joined shortly after Pat Bastone (with help from George Sloane) got it going in 1980.
There will always be conflicts in scheduling! Vegetarian is close BUT a long way from raw foods. Much of their foods involve COOKING (gasp!)...
So my comment is do the best you can to integrate with others in our community but DON'T compromise on the basic differences as stated in your Description: "Raw Nanaimo focuses on increasing the amount of raw and living plant based food in our diet via education, information, and support." That is what attracted me! I've been involved with and following many in the RAW food worldwide community, really missed support in NANAIMO.
Keep up the good work!See more
13 September at 02:07 · UnlikeLike · 1 personYou like this. ·
2. The problem with attempting to be all inclusive is you end up pleasing no one. The more you want to include everyone, the more likely you'll do a poor job of everything. You have called your group Raw Nanaimo, whereas they have called theirs Nanaimo Community Gardens Society. Where is the focus of the groups? Even holding a vegetarian potluck dilutes their main focus: Community Gardens. Their choice of speaker "Shaun Janzen speaking about permaculture" supports their main reason for associating, "gardening". (I have some of the original "Permaculture" books from Australia).
Three reasons I left VIVA:
1. I was and am interested in my health, VIVA and their vegetarian focus (in those early days) was not so concerned about health issues as promoting vegetarian foods including cooked.
2. In seeking to learn more about eating healthy, I got involved with Macrobiotics, (Macro = greater and Bios= life) which is eating locally grown foods in season based on Yin - Yang Japanese based concepts. I studied macrobiotics and cooking in Sooke, BC from Andy Cunningham, former cook at the Kushi Institute in London, England. Andy has gone on to found Green Cuisine, Victoria, BC's best vegetarian restaurant.
3. Also I met Eugene and Rhoda Kaellis at the "Macrobiotic Potlucks", often held in their Victoria home. One night, when talking with Rhoda on the telephone, I suggested she attend a VIVA potluck that I would be unable to attend...Next time I spoke with Rhoda she was annoyed at my suggestion. Instead of focusing on food, that meeting Rhoda attended appeared to have been "hijacked" by an "animal rights" group. Instead of promoting vegetarian foods, they were dishing how the ROW (rest of the world) eats, with particular emphasis on man's inhumanity and misuse of animals.
At this time in Victoria, furriers were being invaded by people who were against fur, their inventory was being spray painted and slashed. Further unlawful acts were discussed such as going to the "Fatts Poultry Farm" and spray painting, "Chicken Auschwitz" on it! For Rhoda, a secular Jew this was far too much! She left.
Next VIVA potluck was held at Elk-Beaver Lake and I signaled out the table at which I knew were the main perps. When I had their attention I informed them I would not listen to anything they or their friends had to say until the exercised some leadership by setting their PRISONERS free! When asked what prisoners, I pointed out their PETS! They said they loved their pets. I replied they are prisoners. When asked "How so", I replied, "They do not have freedom to eat, procreate or go wherever and whenever they choose." That was the last VIVA potluck I attended.
I've now joined their Newsletter to see if they have regained FOCUS.
2. Our next potluck falls on Sunday, October 10th which is over the Thanksgiving Weekend.
Should we change the date of our next potluck so it isn't over thanksgiving?
No.
Should we plan a Thanksgiving Feast?
Yes, Raw and Turkey less.
What works best for you?
Sunday, October 10th, usual program to give thanks for our blessings with friends who appreciate the same things!
3. Have you any ideas for presenters or demos for our next raw food potluck?
Most important - on subject: Raw (Foods) in Nanaimo
Would you, or someone you know like to volunteer to present at one of our potluck nights?
Yes.
4. Raw Food Movie Night. We own quite a number of raw food DVDs that we could show at one of our potluck nights. The trouble is, the hall does not yet have a projector but they are looking in to it. Here is a note from the hall caretakers:
"we used a borrowed projector to see how it would look if a show/presentation was projected directly onto the white wall at the back of the stage, and we found it to be quite watchable. Watchable enough that we determined that if we were to have movie nights, we could forgo a screen and put the money into a nicer projector."
If we were to have a raw food movie night, is there anything in particular that you would like to see?
Your Raw Food DVD's.
What do you think about us hosting a screening for a raw food movie? Do you think we would get the turnout?
Yes, from those who have an interest or inquiring mind. Numbers? Not so sure.
5. Thank you for your suggestions in the suggestion box. If at anytime you would like to make a suggestion, please feel free to do so. This is Your potluck.
* I have sent an e-mail to Moksha Yoga (http://www.mokshayogananaimo.com/ are they interested in promoting Raw Nanaimo?) about our potlucks. I will send them another one about our October potluck once we get the details finalized.
* We will show some Raw Food Un-Cooking videos as soon as we have a way to do so.
* I will bring a CD player to the next potluck so we can listen to some music while we dine. If anyone would like to bring some nice mellow dinner music that would great. I will bring a mellow mixed CD that my sister made for me which is mostly Jack Johnson.
*
6. Please help spread the word. We have a website Raw Nanaimo and a Facebook group.
Thanks,
Moe
E-mail:
raw.nanaimo@gmail.com
Website:
Raw Nanaimo
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi there,
I am actually not sure who to be addressing or indeed what email address is whose, so I am just replying to all of you and hope that the message will get passed on to the appropriate people.
Firstly, I am very glad that there is a raw potluck happening in Nanaimo. I only just found out myself last week through facebook (and I joined the group!) although I have been involved in the food security community for years including with Community Kitchens vegetarian groups, Foodshare, Food Link, Community Gardens, the Gleaning Program and Vancouver Island Food Network. I have also been eating approximately 75% raw for the past three months so I was quite disappointed to learn that the raw foods potluck was the same day as the Community Gardens one.
Community Gardens has been hosting vegetarian potlucks for over 7 years now and in the past 2 they have always been on the second Sunday of each month. Lately we have also tried to have guest speakers as well and have arranged to have the potlucks at a new venue, Pacific Gardens Co-housing (a wonderful place to share a meal!), in order to accomodate a speaker and more potluck participants. Next month we will have our potluck on Oct 17th, however, as the 2nd Sunday is Thanksgiving. That potluck will feature a herbalist speaking about herbal plants and remedies.
The purpose of the Community Gardens potlucks is not simply to share and celebrate food together. We have used the potluck in the past to provide a venue for our members and the public to meet the directors of our board and ask them questions or share their concerns so that the board could more readily represent our members in their decision making. That has evolved to have the potlucks be a way to share information as it is one of the primary purposes of our society to provide education. We currently really enjoy both the structure of a potluck followed by a free lecture and the date, time and venue. In order to draw in the public to be able to access our free speaker, we have tried to limit the potluck as little as possible while still adhering to the values of many of the Community Gardens members. Our compromise is a vegetarian potluck. While many of our members are vegan and some eat primarily raw, we feel it is not inclusive for the potlucks to be so restrictive for the general public (or course I understand that it is not truly "restrictive" but for those without the knowledge and skills to prepare food in those ways, it seems very much so) and many people might not attend simply because they were not sure what they could bring that was vegna, for example.
I would personally love it if I could attend both potlucks assuming they were at locations I could easliy access. While we have not scheduled a potluck for November yet, it is likely we would want to remain with the second Sunday of the month unless another regular date works better for our organizers. Since we invite the public and have been advertising it at this regular time for years, we would like to remain consistant. We are totally open to alternatives, though, so feel free to call me at home (754-0782) or on the gardens phone at 816-4769 and we can discuss the possibilities.
Lee Sanmiya
Administrator,
Nanaimo Community Gardens Society
271 Pine St.
Nanaimo, BC, V9R 2B7
info@nanaimocommunitygardens.ca
www.nanaimocommunitygardens.ca
19/09/2010
From: Chris J. Slater
Sent: September 20, 2010 10:35:44 AM
To: Raw Nanaimo
Hi Moe. In reply to your request for input, I've done so in bold as follows:
Date: Sun, 19 Sep 2010 14:30:19 -0700
Subject: Raw Potluck Night - Your Input needed
Hello,
Firstly, let me thank all of you who came out to our first potluck last Sunday. The food was great and the company better!
If you know of anyone else who would like to take part in the Raw Nanaimo Potlucks please forward on this e-mail to them.
There are a couple of things I would like to bring up as I would like your input:
1. Below I have included an e-mail from Lee at Community Gardens. The e-mail calls into question the night that we have chosen for our potluck as it conflicts with the community gardens potluck night. The position of Raw Nanaimo is to be as inclusive as possible not exclusive. We want to have the best possible turn out that we can have.
Me too but on subject!
Please read Lee's email and let me know what you think.
Should we keep the potluck on the same night or should we consider moving it?
Keep it. Second Sunday of the month. Began at four, ended at 6:45 pm.
What works best for you?
1. Well, I'll repeat what I've already stated:
Hi Everyone. We really enjoyed the "pot"luck tonight and Maureen, decided to do some checking at: http://www.nanaimocommunitygardens.ca/events.php which states:
"Sunday Sept 12, 2010 — Nanaimo Community Gardens Society vegetarian potluck and...... guest speaker. Free vegetarian potluck followed by Shaun Janzen speaking about permaculture at 6pm. Everyone welcome.
5pm at Pacific Gardens Cohousing Community, at 347 7th St, Nanaimo.
For info call 250-816-GROW (4769)"
My comments? I'm a former member of V.I.V.A. (http://islandveg.com/?page_id=468and) and joined shortly after Pat Bastone (with help from George Sloane) got it going in 1980.
There will always be conflicts in scheduling! Vegetarian is close BUT a long way from raw foods. Much of their foods involve COOKING (gasp!)...
So my comment is do the best you can to integrate with others in our community but DON'T compromise on the basic differences as stated in your Description: "Raw Nanaimo focuses on increasing the amount of raw and living plant based food in our diet via education, information, and support." That is what attracted me! I've been involved with and following many in the RAW food worldwide community, really missed support in NANAIMO.
Keep up the good work!See more
13 September at 02:07 · UnlikeLike · 1 personYou like this. ·
2. The problem with attempting to be all inclusive is you end up pleasing no one. The more you want to include everyone, the more likely you'll do a poor job of everything. You have called your group Raw Nanaimo, whereas they have called theirs Nanaimo Community Gardens Society. Where is the focus of the groups? Even holding a vegetarian potluck dilutes their main focus: Community Gardens. Their choice of speaker "Shaun Janzen speaking about permaculture" supports their main reason for associating, "gardening". (I have some of the original "Permaculture" books from Australia).
Three reasons I left VIVA:
1. I was and am interested in my health, VIVA and their vegetarian focus (in those early days) was not so concerned about health issues as promoting vegetarian foods including cooked.
2. In seeking to learn more about eating healthy, I got involved with Macrobiotics, (Macro = greater and Bios= life) which is eating locally grown foods in season based on Yin - Yang Japanese based concepts. I studied macrobiotics and cooking in Sooke, BC from Andy Cunningham, former cook at the Kushi Institute in London, England. Andy has gone on to found Green Cuisine, Victoria, BC's best vegetarian restaurant.
3. Also I met Eugene and Rhoda Kaellis at the "Macrobiotic Potlucks", often held in their Victoria home. One night, when talking with Rhoda on the telephone, I suggested she attend a VIVA potluck that I would be unable to attend...Next time I spoke with Rhoda she was annoyed at my suggestion. Instead of focusing on food, that meeting Rhoda attended appeared to have been "hijacked" by an "animal rights" group. Instead of promoting vegetarian foods, they were dishing how the ROW (rest of the world) eats, with particular emphasis on man's inhumanity and misuse of animals.
At this time in Victoria, furriers were being invaded by people who were against fur, their inventory was being spray painted and slashed. Further unlawful acts were discussed such as going to the "Fatts Poultry Farm" and spray painting, "Chicken Auschwitz" on it! For Rhoda, a secular Jew this was far too much! She left.
Next VIVA potluck was held at Elk-Beaver Lake and I signaled out the table at which I knew were the main perps. When I had their attention I informed them I would not listen to anything they or their friends had to say until the exercised some leadership by setting their PRISONERS free! When asked what prisoners, I pointed out their PETS! They said they loved their pets. I replied they are prisoners. When asked "How so", I replied, "They do not have freedom to eat, procreate or go wherever and whenever they choose." That was the last VIVA potluck I attended.
I've now joined their Newsletter to see if they have regained FOCUS.
2. Our next potluck falls on Sunday, October 10th which is over the Thanksgiving Weekend.
Should we change the date of our next potluck so it isn't over thanksgiving?
No.
Should we plan a Thanksgiving Feast?
Yes, Raw and Turkey less.
What works best for you?
Sunday, October 10th, usual program to give thanks for our blessings with friends who appreciate the same things!
3. Have you any ideas for presenters or demos for our next raw food potluck?
Most important - on subject: Raw (Foods) in Nanaimo
Would you, or someone you know like to volunteer to present at one of our potluck nights?
Yes.
4. Raw Food Movie Night. We own quite a number of raw food DVDs that we could show at one of our potluck nights. The trouble is, the hall does not yet have a projector but they are looking in to it. Here is a note from the hall caretakers:
"we used a borrowed projector to see how it would look if a show/presentation was projected directly onto the white wall at the back of the stage, and we found it to be quite watchable. Watchable enough that we determined that if we were to have movie nights, we could forgo a screen and put the money into a nicer projector."
If we were to have a raw food movie night, is there anything in particular that you would like to see?
Your Raw Food DVD's.
What do you think about us hosting a screening for a raw food movie? Do you think we would get the turnout?
Yes, from those who have an interest or inquiring mind. Numbers? Not so sure.
5. Thank you for your suggestions in the suggestion box. If at anytime you would like to make a suggestion, please feel free to do so. This is Your potluck.
* I have sent an e-mail to Moksha Yoga (http://www.mokshayogananaimo.com/ are they interested in promoting Raw Nanaimo?) about our potlucks. I will send them another one about our October potluck once we get the details finalized.
* We will show some Raw Food Un-Cooking videos as soon as we have a way to do so.
* I will bring a CD player to the next potluck so we can listen to some music while we dine. If anyone would like to bring some nice mellow dinner music that would great. I will bring a mellow mixed CD that my sister made for me which is mostly Jack Johnson.
*
6. Please help spread the word. We have a website Raw Nanaimo and a Facebook group.
Thanks,
Moe
E-mail:
raw.nanaimo@gmail.com
Website:
Raw Nanaimo
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi there,
I am actually not sure who to be addressing or indeed what email address is whose, so I am just replying to all of you and hope that the message will get passed on to the appropriate people.
Firstly, I am very glad that there is a raw potluck happening in Nanaimo. I only just found out myself last week through facebook (and I joined the group!) although I have been involved in the food security community for years including with Community Kitchens vegetarian groups, Foodshare, Food Link, Community Gardens, the Gleaning Program and Vancouver Island Food Network. I have also been eating approximately 75% raw for the past three months so I was quite disappointed to learn that the raw foods potluck was the same day as the Community Gardens one.
Community Gardens has been hosting vegetarian potlucks for over 7 years now and in the past 2 they have always been on the second Sunday of each month. Lately we have also tried to have guest speakers as well and have arranged to have the potlucks at a new venue, Pacific Gardens Co-housing (a wonderful place to share a meal!), in order to accomodate a speaker and more potluck participants. Next month we will have our potluck on Oct 17th, however, as the 2nd Sunday is Thanksgiving. That potluck will feature a herbalist speaking about herbal plants and remedies.
The purpose of the Community Gardens potlucks is not simply to share and celebrate food together. We have used the potluck in the past to provide a venue for our members and the public to meet the directors of our board and ask them questions or share their concerns so that the board could more readily represent our members in their decision making. That has evolved to have the potlucks be a way to share information as it is one of the primary purposes of our society to provide education. We currently really enjoy both the structure of a potluck followed by a free lecture and the date, time and venue. In order to draw in the public to be able to access our free speaker, we have tried to limit the potluck as little as possible while still adhering to the values of many of the Community Gardens members. Our compromise is a vegetarian potluck. While many of our members are vegan and some eat primarily raw, we feel it is not inclusive for the potlucks to be so restrictive for the general public (or course I understand that it is not truly "restrictive" but for those without the knowledge and skills to prepare food in those ways, it seems very much so) and many people might not attend simply because they were not sure what they could bring that was vegna, for example.
I would personally love it if I could attend both potlucks assuming they were at locations I could easliy access. While we have not scheduled a potluck for November yet, it is likely we would want to remain with the second Sunday of the month unless another regular date works better for our organizers. Since we invite the public and have been advertising it at this regular time for years, we would like to remain consistant. We are totally open to alternatives, though, so feel free to call me at home (754-0782) or on the gardens phone at 816-4769 and we can discuss the possibilities.
Lee Sanmiya
Administrator,
Nanaimo Community Gardens Society
271 Pine St.
Nanaimo, BC, V9R 2B7
info@nanaimocommunitygardens.ca
www.nanaimocommunitygardens.ca
19/09/2010
